TO: Nokia Siemens network
FROM: Sasha Johnson, Head of Public Relations
DATE: January 31, 2010
SUBJECT: Boycott of Nokia products by opponents of Iranian regime
Rumors are circulating of Nokia’s business dealings with the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), and supporters of the political protest movement are initiating a boycott of Nokia products. Deep packet inspection technology, purportedly provided by Nokia, gives the government the ability to intercept web and voice communication, a severe violation of privacy and ethics.
E-mails, messages on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and even internet phone calls and images can be intercepted, read, and changed for disinformation purposes with the use of this technology. The sender of the content can also be identified. It is thought that Nokia has provided this service, and as such the politically active public is taking initiative against the company, however, to clarify all misconceptions, Nokia Siemens has NOT provided the Iranian government with such a sophisticated system. The only system that Nokia has knowledge of can merely intercept voice calls on the 3GPP standard, a globally customary practice employed by the United States and the European Union.
A press release will be issued immediately following the delivery of this statement, so if a member of the press approaches you for questioning, please defer them to the public relations department as much as possible. Please also confirm if you speak with the press or a customer that if the IRI has access to deep packet inspection technology, it was not provided by Nokia; such systems have not been developed by our engineers.
Nokia Siemens stands firm in our support of human rights. We cannot deny commercial association with the IRI; however, all business dealings between Nokia and the regime are now public. The task at hand is to diffuse the rumors and welcome back all customers who have been turned off by this misinformation.
Attachments: Press Release
American Apparel Group
Cara, Tyler, Samuel, Ashley
1. The formatting of the memo is correct
2. a. Subject: Boycott of Nokia products by opponents of Iranian regime
b. Purpose: to inform the employees of the situation, to tell them not to talk to the press, to diffuse rumors
c. Main point: to explain the situation and tell them not to talk to the press, to clarify misconceptions
d. Background information: the majority of the memo is background information, it should be shortened and include more information of what the employees should do
e. Importance: they stress the importance of the situation well
3. Topics:
crisis
technical explanations
how to deal with the press
restatement of their ethics
4. conclusion:
does not thank the reader
sort of restates the main point
does look to the future
5. type of memo: claim memo, it explains the situation, but does not show much of a response
6. they do not use you very much because most of the memo is explaining the crisis
the tone should be changed from anxious, to hopeful and confident
the last paragraph is bureaucratic
comment
Please respond to the following prompts as a group for the Internal Memo draft workshop (use the back if necessary).
1. Is the memo’s formatting correct? Does it contain a complete header and message?
Yes
2. Read the memo’s introduction and report its stated:
a. Subject- boycott of nokia products
b. Purpose- stop rumors circulating about nokia products
c. Main Point- how they will stop the rumors
d. Background Information- yes provides sufficient background
e. Importance of the Subject- pretty important
3. The memo’s body is divided into what topics?
Background info about rumor situation
Describes technical info more in depth
Tells what to say to the press
Conclusion, restates purpose
4. Read the memo’s conclusion and report how it:
a. Thanks the reader- none
b. Restates the main point- yes
c. Looks to the future- does lightly foreshadow future relations
5. What type of memo does this appear to be (Inquiry, Response, Transmittal, Claim, Adjustment, Refusal, other)?
refusal
6. Note any places where the memo does not:
a. Use the “you” style- yes
b. Create an appropriate tone- yes
c. Avoid bureaucratic phrasing-for the most part yes
Nokia comment
This memo seems solid overall. I think you could revise your introduction to be more in keeping with TCT's information on pages 457-60. Specifically, although your introduction does reveal its subject, it doesn't state its purpose nor the main point that readers should take away. Information about the importance of the subject also would be relevant, I believe. This is important, because as the book points out, most readers will only scan this document, so you want to front load the vital parts.